'The Vampire Diaries' Premieres Tonight: Watch a Two-Minute Preview

"The Vampire Diaries" returns tonight after a four-month summer layoff, and (as the promo from The CW run earlier last week implies) the white-hot love triangle between Elana (Nina Dobrev), Stefan (Paul Wesley) and Damon (Ian Somerhalder) is back and fully sizzling.

We've got a new two-minute preview of the premiere episode below, and The CW has also provided a synopsis of the first episode of season 3 below. The season premiere of "The Vampire Diaries" runs tonight at 8 p.m. EST.

Premiere episode synopsis:

"On the morning of Elena's 18th birthday, Caroline is busy planning a party, but Elena is focused on searching for any clues that might help her discover where Stefan is. Damon is also searching for Stefan, while trying to protect Elena and keep her from doing anything that would draw Klaus' attention. Meanwhile, Klaus and Stefan are busy trailing a werewolf named Ray Sutton (guest star David Gallagher, 'Super 8'). Now working at the Mystic Grill along with Matt, Jeremy is struggling to understand why he keeps seeing the ghosts of Vicki (guest star Kayla Ewell) and Anna (guest star Malese Jow) since he was brought back to life by Bonnie's magic. Meanwhile, Alaric does his best to watch over Elena and Jeremy, while dealing with his grief over Jenna's death. Finally, Caroline and Tyler face a new and unexpected challenge. John Behring directed the episode written by Kevin Williamson & Julie Plec."

In the latest preview from The CW (below), Executive producer Julie Plec provides a sneak peek at what happens in the season 3 premiere. Watch it now: